Twitter to Launch Twitter Kit 2.0

On March 23rd, Twitter will release Twitter Kit 2.0 for iOS. Twitter Kit originally launched in 2014 as a toolkit that allowed developers to leverage Twitter data and functionality to provide richer content within third party apps. The original Twitter Kit included Native Tweet embeds, Tweet Composer, and Sign in with Twitter. Since then, Twitter has added a number of new features (e.g. enhanced media support, photo and video viewers, etc.). The 2.0 version arrives as the first major revision and will act as a launching pad for many new features to come.

New features include an increased Tweet detail view, an enhanced login experience, new search filters, and greater accessibility with Dynamic Type support. The Tweet detail view allows users to remain within third party apps while reading Tweets. Login now allows apps to authorize users outside the iOS system and manage special permissions (e.g. email address, Direct Message access, etc.). Additional search filters include search timelines, location, and top tweets. For a full list of new features, visit the docs.

The move to 2.0 will cause some breaking changes. Accordingly, Twitter will continue to provide critical fixes on v1.5 until June 1, 2016. To assist developers with the move to v2.0, Twitter published updated documentation in advance of tomorrow's release. Additionally, Twitter will provide code examples and address comments and questions in the Twitter Kit forum. Further, Twitter removed the deprecated methods it announced in January and iOS 7 is no longer supported.

Twitter continues to find great value in integration with third party apps and has pegged much of its future success on the value such apps derive from Twitter data and functionality. The new version of Twitter Kit was born out of developer feedback from a configuration and feature standpoint. Twitter has thought through the migration difficulties and has provided a number of tools to ease the upgrade path. Check out the new docs, sample code, and new features to see where the new Twitter Kit fits in your environment.

Eric Carter
Eric the founder of Dartsand and Corporate Counsel for a specialty technology distributor. He is a frequent contributor to technology media outlets and also serves as primary legal counsel for multiple startups in the Real Estate, Virtual Assistant, and Software Development Industries. Follow me on Google+